Improvement in railroad-rail benders



w. J. WATKINS. RAILROAD RA'IL BENDERS.

Patented May 2, 187 6.

I JV V'EJV' TOR Attorneys WITNESSES 3%6 @MM R, WASHINGTUN, D C

N-FETERS, PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHE Fierce;

PATENT WILLIAM J. WATKINS, OF MAHANOY CITY, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF HIS RIGHT TO DANIEL D. JONES, OF SAM E PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-RAIL BENDERS.-

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. [77,043, dated May 2, 1876 application filed April 1, 1876.

7 '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. WATKINS, of Mahanoy City, in the county of Schuylkill and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail- Benders; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this spec ilication. The nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangement of a machine and use the same, I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation, referring to the annexed drawing, in whieh-- Figure l is a plan view of my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof. Fig. 3 shows a detached part of the same.

A represents a former, made of hard wood, of substantially the form shown in Fig. 1-that is to say, it has one straight side or edge from a to b, and from the end it has an inclined side to d, from which it is rounded to the end b, the widest point of the board being a line drawn from. the curve d at right angles to the side a b. The board or former A is bound all around its edges with band-irouB. At the point d, on the edgeof the board, is swiveied a metal block, 0, which is shaped to fit the side of the rail. Through each end of the block A is passed a screw-bolt, D, formed with a hook,

. the rail.

D, on its end, which is shaped to tit over the top, and over and against the opposite side of On the screwends ot' the bolts D are placed nuts G.

This rail-bender works on the principle of a lever, with a screw pulling on the end of the lever giving it double power. forms the fulcrum, which may be within six inches of the end of the rail, and thus bend the rail to that point. The fulcrum 0 turns as on a swivel, so as to fit and fill the hollow of the rail when the instrunu-mt is turned end for end, in order to get at both ends of the rail it need be.

Should it become necessary to bend-a rail edgewise for top or bottom of inclined-planes, 850., the fulcrum should be turned partially around, and the bolt-hooks placed to pull oppositeeach other. lt will then bend the rail 7 as little or as much as required.

The device ma be made ofan 'size desired and is designed especially for use in collieries, but may also be used on any railways where it is desired to bend any rails.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The within-described rail-bender, consisting of the blocks A bound with iron, as described, the swiveled fulcrum, and the bolts D, .with

hook D, and nuts Gr, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J. WATKINS.

Witnessesz' S. JEFFRIES, D. OGouuoa.

The blockO 

